Indlca ixing m mechanism



Jan. 4, 1966 H. SCHMIDT INDICATING MECHANISM Filed April 17, 1963 INVENTOR f/A/VS SCI/MID 7" Ate'uf United States Patent 3,227,123 INDIQATING MECHANISM Hans Schmidt, Toronto, (int-aria, Canada, assignor to North American Philips Company Inc, New York, N.Y a corporation of Delaware Fiied Apr. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 273,641

Claims priority, application Canada, Apr. 13, 1962,

847,055 6 Claims. (Cl. 116-1241) This invention relates to an indicating dial mechanism which facilitates the mounting of an adjustable mechanism behind a panel in front of which the indicator and an adjustment control member are located. The invention is particularly adaptable for use with automobile or similar devices wherein a radio is mounted behind the instrument panel with the tuning indicator and control knobs or buttons accessible from in front thereof and such an embodiment will be described.

In the past, in order to install a radio receiver for use behind such a panel, it was necessary to cut openings in the panel so as to allow space for the integral tuning indicator mechanism to project therethrough. This is a tedious and time-consuming operation.

The present invention allows the mounting of a radio receiver for use as specified by the drilling of round holes in the panel. The tuning indicator mechanism is readily separable from the radio proper and is installed in front of the panel subsequent to the installation of the radio receiver per se behind the panel. The tuning indicator is self-correlating with the tuning mechanism of the radio receiver so that correct frequency calibration is automatically achieved.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a plan view of an assembly according to the invention and FIG. 2 is a view of the coupling means according to the invention. In order to maintain simplicity and clarity of the description, only portions directly related to the invention are shown.

The panel or dashboard upon which the radio receiver is to be mounted comprises a member 2 of any suitable design for supporting a roller 3, provided with a spiral indication stripe 3a. Roller 3 is supplied with axial journal pins 4, cooperating with journalled tabs 4a, 5a. The journalled tabs 4a, 5a are shown as being integral with member 2 which is also provided with mounting flange 6 having holes by which member 2 may be secured to the panel by, for instance, self-tapping metal screws.

Member 2 is provided with a mask 7 having an elongated slot 8, which exposes the roller 3 therebeneath and cooperates with stripe 3a to provide an indication of the angular position of roller 3. For sake of clarity dial calibrations have been omitted. At the right-hand end of roller 3, as shown in the drawing, there is provided a flanged pulley 9 which is preferably integral with roller 3. A cord 16 has one end secured to pulley 9 by means of threading through a hole in the central part of the pulley in the known manner (not shown). The cord is wound about the pulley and passed through aligned holes, one in the rear of members 2 and the other in panel 1 (not shown) and secured in a split cylindrical member 11 by means of a knot (not shown) seated in a hollowed out portion of member 11 which is adapted to press fit on a shaft 17 as will be seen more clearly in FIG. 2. A helical spring 13, wound about pin 4 is secured at one end to pin 4 and at the other end to tab 4a of member 2 and is tensioned so that roller 3 is biased to turn in a clockwise direction looking from the side at pulley 9. Tubular member 11 acts as a limit stop for roller 3 when removed from shaft 17 as it butts up against the rear of member 2. It will be readily seen that the abutment of member 11 against member 2 provides one indication limit or reference point to which the roller 3 can always be adjusted.

Referring now to the tuning mechanism per se it comprises a number of coils not shown, wound on coil forms 21 which are secured to the radio chassis 22. Each coil form 21 is provided with a movable magnetic ferrite core 24. Each core is provided with a threaded stud 20 screwed into a threaded sleeve member of a movable carriage member 19 in order that the core positions can be individually adjusted relative to each other and collectively with respect to the coil forms 21 by sliding movement of carriage 19. Sliding movement of carriage 19 is provided in any suitable manner such as described in a patent to Laschenski U.S.P. 2,478,287. As seen in FIG. 1 carriage 19 is moved in the direction shown by the arrows and supported in a fixed part represented by a chassis 22. The tabs 25 lide in slots (not shown) in the opposite sides of chassis 22 as indicated in the figure. Movement is imparted to the carriage 19 in any known manner also shown in the Laschenski patent. As shown in FIG. 1, a suitable arrangement consists of a rack gear 28 afiixed to carriage 19. The rack gear 28 is moved by a driving gear 29 meshed therewith. The driving gear 29 being actuated by means of a knob 14, shaft 23 having a gear 27 meshed with gear 26 connected to driving gear 29. However, as noted above, any mechanism may be utilized to slideably support carriage 19 for moving cores 24 relative to the coils on formers 21 since such an arrangement does not constitute the invention disclosed herein.

Movement of the carriage 19 is transmitted to the indicating mechanism by a coupling means comprising a connecting member 15 adapted to be secured to carriage 19 via a threaded stud 16 (FIG. 2). A threaded hole (not shown) is provided in carriage 1) for stud 16. Member 15 is provided with an extension 17 which can be press fitted into the hollowed out portion of split cylinder 11.

In order to mount the radio receiver holes are drilled in panel 1 to accommodate cord 10 and member 11 and the mounting screws for the indicator member 2. Additionally, holes are provided to accept the shafts for tuning knob 14 and a volume control (not shown). The radio receiver chassis is mounted in position behind the panel (i.e. behind the dashboard of a vehicle and supported in known manner) and the tuning indicator mechanism is then mounted directly on the panel on the front side or opposite side with member 11 pushed onto shaft 17. At this point no correlation necessarily exists between the tuning indication and the frequency to which the radio receiver is tuned. Knob 14 is now adjusted to bring carriage 19 forward to its limit of travel and this action simultaneously pushes shaft 17 into split cylinder 11 which abuts against the rear of member 2. Roller 3 will now be at its limit indicating a frequency at the righthand end of slot 8 and since carriage 19 is also at its forward limit, correlation now exists between the indicated frequency and the frequency to which the radio receiver is tuned. It will be readily apparent that the correlation can be readily corrected at any time simply by tuning the radio receiver to the limit as noted above. It is equally feasible to supply further means for limiting the movement of split cylinder 11 toward the tuner mechanism so that in the event shaft 17 is located too far inside cylinder 11, it can be moved out to the correct location by tuning to the further limit.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that various modifications may be made thereto which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For instance, a longitudinally movable needle type indicating mechanism, spring-biased to one of its limits, can replace the roller system described.

What is claimed is:

1. A system for mounting a radio on a panel such as the dashboard of a motor vehicle comprising a panel having a front side and rear side and at least one through aperture provided therein, an indicating mechanism mounted on the said front side of said panel overlying said aperture, said indicating mechanism including a movable indicator member, means spring biasing said indicator member into a position corresponding with one indicating limit thereof, a radio chassis support at the rear side of said panel having a slideable inductance tuning mechanism adjacent said panel, an elongated axially movable coupling means connected at one end to said movable indicating member, said coupling means extending through said panel aperture and having its other end connected with said inductance tuning mechanism, whereby movement of said inductance tuning mechanism imparts corresponding movement to said indicating mechanism via said axially movable coupling means.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said axially movable coupling means comprises a stud member connected with said inductance tuning mechanism and having a shaft portion projecting outwardly therefrom, a split cylinder connected at one end with said indicating mechanism for frictionally telescopically receiving said shaft portion and thereby automatically adjust the coupling means for correlating movement of said tuning and indicating mechanism.

3. A radio for vehicles comprising discrete indicating means, and radio chassis including an inductance tuning means, and means coupling said inductance tuning means and said indicating means; said last mentioned means comprising a split cylinder coupled with said indicating means and a stud member coupled with said tuning means, said stud member having a shaft projecting there- Li. from receivable in said cylinder for frictionally coupling said indicating and tuning means.

4. A radio according to claim 3 wherein said indicating means comprising a housing member, an indicating mechanism movably mounted Within said housing member, and means for normally biasing said indicating mechanism to one of its indicating limits.

5. A radio according to claim 4: wherein said indicating mechanism includes a spirally masked rotatable cylinder and said housing member includes a masking member having an axial slot.

6. An indicating mechanism adapted to be mounted on the front of a panel having a front side and a rear side for indicating the frequency adjustment of a radio receiver located on the rear side of said panel comprising an indicating member spring-biased to one of its indication limits, an elongated split cylinder member connected at one end with said indicating member through an opening in said panel and movable substantially axially and orthogonally to said panel to produce corresponding movement thereof, a connecting member coupled to said radio receiver for movement in response to tuning said radio, said connecting member being in axial alignment with said cylinder member and frictionally coupled thereto to move simultaneously therewith, and means limiting the movement of each of said members in order that correlation of tuning and indication is achieved by virtue of the frictional coupling by setting said indicating mechanism and said frequency adjustment of said radio to their corresponding limits of movement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,137,435 11/1938 Yolles 334-77 2,226,822 12/1940 Kirke et al. 33477 2,255,680 9/1941 Sands et a1 334-77 2,478,287 8/1949 Laschenski 74-l0.8 2,678,621 5/1954 Proctor 881 LOUIS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SYSTEM FOR MOUNTING A RADIO ON A PANEL SUCH AS THE DASHBOARD OF A MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING A PANEL HAVING A FRONT SIDE AND REAR SIDE AND AT LEAST ONE THROUGH APERTURE PROVIDED THEREIN, AN INDICATING MECHANISM MOUNTED ON THE SAID FRONT SIDE OF SAID PANEL OVERLYING SAID APERTURE, SAID INDICATING MECHANISM INCLUDING A MOVABLE INDICATOR MEMBER, MEANS SPRING BIASING SAID INDICATOR MEMBER INTO A POSITION CORRESPONDING WITH ONE INDICATING LIMIT THEREOF, A RADIO CHASSIS SUPPORT AT THE REAR SIDE OF SAID PANEL HAVING A SLIDEABLE INDUCTANCE TUNING MECHANISM ADJACENT SA ID PANEL, AND ELONGATED AXIALLY MOVABLE COUPLING MEANS CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID MOVABLE INDICATING MEMBER, SAID COUPLING MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PANEL APERTURE AND HAVING ITS OTHER END CONNECTED WITH SAID INDUCTANCE TUNING MECHANISM, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID INDUCTANCE TUNING MECHANISM IMPARTS CORRESPONDING MOVEMENT TO SAID INDICATING MECHANISM VIA SAID AXIALLY MOVABLE COUPLING MEANS. 